The Nashville Predators fell to the Tampa Bay Lightning, 5-4, in a back-and-forth-affair Saturday at Amalie Arena.
Nashville got on the board first when Yakov Trenin and Juuso Parssinen teamed up to force a giveaway behind the Tampa net. Trenin fed a backhand pass in front of the net to Joakim Kemell, who dumped it in to give the Preds a 1-0 lead at 14:25 of the first period.
Due to a tripping call on Emil Martinsen Lilleberg late in the first, Nashville started the second period on the man advantage. A miscue on the power play, however, led to a breakaway chance for Brandon Hagel, who beat Kevin Lankinen for a shorthanded goal to tie the score at 1-1.
The Predators responded less than a minute later, when Ryan O’Reilly fired a laser pass to Philip Tomasino, who lifted the puck backhand past Tomkins to retake the one-goal lead. Former Pred Austin Watson leveled it for the Lightning, however, receiving a feed from Waltteri Merela and beating Kevin Lankinen glove-side to tie the score at 2-2.
Nashville broke the tie at 17:51 of the middle frame, when some skilled offensive work between Tommy Novak and Luke Evangelista led to the go-ahead goal. Novak received the puck from Roman Josi and passed it backward between-the-legs to Evangelista, who moved almost effortlessly through traffic to find Novak, who fired the puck into the top-left corner to put the Preds back on top.
Waltteri Merela tied things back up for Tampa Bay in the early minutes of the third period, and Brayden Point found Nikita Kucherov wide open in front of the net for a go-ahead power-play goal at 12:57. Merela then beat Yaroslav Askarov for his second of the period to give the Lightning their first two-goal lead.
Novak scored his second goal of the night on a shot from the point with 38 seconds remaining in the final frame for the 5-4 final.
ROSTER REPORT
Of the 53 players attending Preds training camp, 20 dressed to play on Saturday. The roster for Saturday's game can be found here.
KING KEMELL
Kemell, who does not yet have a full season of North American professional hockey under his belt, gave the Predators their first lead of the 2023 preseason with his first-period tally. The 19-year-old Finn, drafted by Nashville in the first round (17th overall) in 2022, is a newcomer to Preds training camp in 2023. He joined the AHL’s Milwaukee Admirals down the stretch for just 14 regular-season games and 14 postseason contests in the 2022-23 campaign and made a significant impact in a relatively short time, leading both the Admirals and all AHL rookies with eight goals in his first Calder Cup Playoffs.
TOMMY TWO-GOALS
Novak scored the go-ahead tally for the Preds late in the second period for his second goal of the preseason. He currently leads Nashville with two preseason goals. He connected once again with Evangelista, after the habitual linemates combined on eight goals down the stretch last season.
THEY SAID IT
Tomasino on Nashville’s effort in the loss:
“I thought we competed hard. I thought we were good at stripping pucks and playing quick, but I think maybe we had some sloppy turnovers that kind of fueled their offense. So I think that’s something we can continue to learn and build on. But I thought the effort was great. I thought we were in it all night, for sure.”
Tomasino on adjusting to a new system on offense:
“I think we're starting to settle in. Obviously, we have a new kind of new system, so I think that probably takes us a little bit of time to get used to. But I think you're starting to see us make more plays and kind of support each other more than we were in the first couple of games. So it's been good. I think we've come a long way. I think today was a good effort, but we need to find a way to get that done. I think our next game will definitely be better.”
Head Coach Andrew Brunette on Nashville’s compete level:
“I really liked it. I thought we had pretty good energy throughout, for the most part of the game. I thought in the first, we were a little sleepy to begin with and I think that happens due to travel; it's not a normal road game for them. But I thought as the game went on, I really liked their compete and their energy. They made some mistakes, which is going to happen, but we kept ourselves in it right to the end.”
Brunette on Nashville’s special teams:
“I liked the power play tonight. I thought we moved the puck better than we have in the first couple of games. I really liked our play six-on-five. I think on the penalty kill, we just got lackadaisical there for a second, and that's what happens when you play against elite players on a team like Tampa – they're going to make you pay if you're not ready, and there's times we weren't ready and we paid the price for it.”
Brunette on Nashville’s adjustment to a new system:
“It's kind of as expected. It’s going to be hard. I'm asking them to be a little bit uncomfortable. I think they played a certain way and they've had some success with it, and I think we're asking them to be a little bit more aggressive, a little bit quicker on pucks and not as not as rocking chair-like in the D-zone, and I think it's taking a little bit of adjustment and we'll get there. I think there's improvements every game that we played, I think we're getting there. We're just just not there yet.”
UP NEXT
The Predators will return home to host the Carolina Hurricanes for a preseason matchup on Thursday for Hispanic Heritage Night at Bridgestone Arena. The puck drops at 7 p.m. CT, and the game will be streamed on NashvillePredators.com and broadcast on 102.5 The Game.
